2014 Roland Garros Final: Nadal vs. Djokovic

[Front242]

I am willing to cut Nole a TINY bit of slack because I DID see him throw up in high-def, slow-mo. He looked tired all day. BUT...

He was horrible returning, inside out forehand was horrible, just bad overall...STILL...

You cannot take anything from Rafa. he raised his game when he needed to, the forehand worked most of the time, he even hit a couple of backhand winners ...and he was struggling towards the end with his own issues. So kudos to Rafa for the win and for catching Pete at the slam count.

I said this during the chat. This was like waiting for a long time to make love to a beautiful woman and finding out it was not what you hoped it would be. A lot of anticipation, not a lot of satisfaction.

Hope that's not coming from experience. Was it a he/she ? :snigger DOOOOOOIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!!!!

 

[crystalfire]

I am willing to cut Nole a TINY bit of slack because I DID see him throw up in high-def, slow-mo. He looked tired all day. BUT...

He was horrible returning, inside out forehand was horrible, just bad overall...STILL...

You cannot take anything from Rafa. he raised his game when he needed to, the forehand worked most of the time, he even hit a couple of backhand winners ...and he was struggling towards the end with his own issues. So kudos to Rafa for the win and for catching Pete at the slam count.

I said this during the chat. This was like waiting for a long time to make love to a beautiful woman and finding out it was not what you hoped it would be. A lot of anticipation, not a lot of satisfaction.

wait...he threw up???!! when was this

 

[calitennis127]

Congratulations on F.O. #9 and tying Sampras for 14 Rafael Nadal!

Only three more to tie Fed and become Goat!

:clap :clap :clap :celeb:

Remember when you asked "how does Federer stay motivated?" after the 2010 Australian Open and I told you that his record wasn't nearly as secure as everyone was saying?

I wouldn't have thought it'd be broken but I also didn't think Roger would only have 17 after getting #16 at AO 2010. Figured at least 19. For all the talk that Roger aged well and handled having a family well it doesn't seem to be the case.

Darth, I think you're completely missing the point. I am strictly talking about the attitude people like nehmeth and Murat expressed repeatedly that they "don't know how Fed stays motivated" after his Slam lead was up to 10.

I never bought into this idea that Nadal was going to play until he was 24 and then physically crash because his knees couldn't take it. That was one of the dumbest cliches out there. And after #6, there was scant evidence that he wasn't going to win at least another 5 or 6 French Opens. The point I also made at that time was that Federer should have been looking a generation down the pike, even if Nadal was not going to catch him, and anticipating a future great rising. His lead could never be big enough.

Now it appears that his complacency (and the complacency of everyone who was in his ear) has really put him in an ugly situation as far as defending his record.

 

[the AntiPusher]

^ Acknowledge that Roger should have done better from 2008 on. He had his chances to.

he def should have.

Nah.. Fed just ran into the greatest player of his generation.. You cant fault Roger for that. He does everything he could to try to hold Rafa at bay.. Look where Rafa would have been if there were no Djoker.

 

[calitennis127]

Congratulations on F.O. #9 and tying Sampras for 14 Rafael Nadal!

Only three more to tie Fed and become Goat!

:clap :clap :clap :celeb:

Remember when you asked "how does Federer stay motivated?" after the 2010 Australian Open and I told you that his record wasn't nearly as secure as everyone was saying?

never thought his record was secure. if rafa breaks that idk what ill do

Well, don't forget that he has nothing to play for anymore. Nothing!

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I am willing to cut Nole a TINY bit of slack because I DID see him throw up in high-def, slow-mo. He looked tired all day. BUT...

He was horrible returning, inside out forehand was horrible, just bad overall...STILL...

You cannot take anything from Rafa. he raised his game when he needed to, the forehand worked most of the time, he even hit a couple of backhand winners ...and he was struggling towards the end with his own issues. So kudos to Rafa for the win and for catching Pete at the slam count.

I said this during the chat. This was like waiting for a long time to make love to a beautiful woman and finding out it was not what you hoped it would be. A lot of anticipation, not a lot of satisfaction.

wait...he threw up???!! when was this

A couple of times...I just cannot pinpoint the exact times.

 

[tenisplayrla08]

Congratulations on F.O. #9 and tying Sampras for 14 Rafael Nadal!

Only three more to tie Fed and become Goat!

:clap :clap :clap :celeb:

Remember when you asked "how does Federer stay motivated?" after the 2010 Australian Open and I told you that his record wasn't nearly as secure as everyone was saying?

I wouldn't have thought it'd be broken but I also didn't think Roger would only have 17 after getting #16 at AO 2010. Figured at least 19. For all the talk that Roger aged well and handled having a family well it doesn't seem to be the case.

I can distinctly remember saying that there was no chance Fed wouldn't get to 20 by now, back in 2009 and 2010. And even back in 2011 and especially after he won Wimbledon in 2012 I still thought he could get there. But boy was I wrong about him having it by now and now of course I'm not sure he'll ever get to 20. But, even if he doesn't, and even if Rafa does pass him and even if Rafa does get to 20 while Fed doesn't, you can't take Fed's 17 (or his final tally) away from him. He won 12 in 4 years. TWELVE in FOUR years. I don't care if he didn't have to play the stiff competition there is today. I don't care if he lost to Nadal at the French every time he played him at the French in those four years (and every time since), he still did what he had to do to beat the men he had to beat at the moment he had to beat them. Heavens knows Pete, Agassi, McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Edberg, etc. lost matches they should have won that cost them more titles and more grand slams. They cracked under the pressure or simply couldn't summon up their best stuff or couldn't figure out a way to hang in a match until their opponent wilted or until they could find a way around their opponents weakness or whatever else. Fed did at 12 slams in four years. And he went to the finals of almost all the other ones.

There are only two matches that I can think of that really got away from him though since 2007 ended. That 2009 match against DelPo. And the 2011 match against Djokovic, in which Djokovic hit that ridiculous return that barely caught the line on match point. Fed wilted after that point. Lost that game and every game after it. It cost us a chance to see Fed vs Nadal at the US Open. But we Fed fans may be a little lucky that it didn't happen, because while we'd love to believe he would have beaten Nadal there, Nadal probably would have won and then no place would be safe for Roger. I definitely got off topic. I'm not even sure where I started anymore. But I'm not going back to read it to figure it out either.

 

[Ricardo]

Rafa was too good today

Some of his shots were excellent, but saying he was "too good" is an exaggeration.

He was too good for the Novak that showed up.

doesn't that apply to every match? you only need to be too good for the opponent in any given match.

don't need two players playing their best simultaneously to 'validate' a match.

did Rafa play his best ever? no, but he was still too good.

 

[calitennis127]

^ Acknowledge that Roger should have done better from 2008 on. He had his chances to.

The real disaster was not 2008 Wimbledon (where Nadal played very well) but the 2009 Australian Open. That match opened the floodgates as far as the Nadal menace went and Federer coughed it up - and then cried it out.

 

[Riotbeard]

I am willing to cut Nole a TINY bit of slack because I DID see him throw up in high-def, slow-mo. He looked tired all day. BUT...

He was horrible returning, inside out forehand was horrible, just bad overall...STILL...

You cannot take anything from Rafa. he raised his game when he needed to, the forehand worked most of the time, he even hit a couple of backhand winners ...and he was struggling towards the end with his own issues. So kudos to Rafa for the win and for catching Pete at the slam count.

I said this during the chat. This was like waiting for a long time to make love to a beautiful woman and finding out it was not what you hoped it would be. A lot of anticipation, not a lot of satisfaction.

A fitting end to a tournament that was generally disappointing.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Rafa was not too good today. Djokovic was too bad but whatever.

I agree with this actually, but technically it does make Nadal "too good" because when he did step up his game, Novak had no answer. Conversely, at no point in the match did Djokovic play that well, not even in the first set when he won.

 

[calitennis127]

you can't take Fed's 17 (or his final tally) away from him. He won 12 in 4 years. TWELVE in FOUR years. I don't care if he didn't have to play the stiff competition there is today.

The competition is far worse today aside from the 3 outside of Federer. The players in this generation are frankly terrible.

 

[brokenshoelace]

To be clear, I'm not saying Novak was incapable of an answer. I'm just saying he couldn't muster up one. We all know he can play much better than this. However, regardless of Nadal not playing his best tennis, to beat him at a French Open final in these hot conditions, you really gotta bring it. Novak didn't.

 

[DarthFed]

Congratulations on F.O. #9 and tying Sampras for 14 Rafael Nadal!

Only three more to tie Fed and become Goat!

:clap :clap :clap :celeb:

Remember when you asked "how does Federer stay motivated?" after the 2010 Australian Open and I told you that his record wasn't nearly as secure as everyone was saying?

I wouldn't have thought it'd be broken but I also didn't think Roger would only have 17 after getting #16 at AO 2010. Figured at least 19. For all the talk that Roger aged well and handled having a family well it doesn't seem to be the case.

Darth, I think you're completely missing the point. I am strictly talking about the attitude people like nehmeth and Murat expressed repeatedly that they "don't know how Fed stays motivated" after his Slam lead was up to 10.

I never bought into this idea that Nadal was going to play until he was 24 and then physically crash because his knees couldn't take it. That was one of the dumbest cliches out there. And after #6, there was scant evidence that he wasn't going to win at least another 5 or 6 French Opens. The point I also made at that time was that Federer should have been looking a generation down the pike, even if Nadal was not going to catch him, and anticipating a future great rising. His lead could never be big enough.

Now it appears that his complacency (and the complacency of everyone who was in his ear) has really put him in an ugly situation as far as defending his record.

No I agree with your points. With Roger the ups and downs and motivational issues is a combination of family and just having been around so long and accomplished so much. It is human nature. We can hope that he gets some motivation at the possibility of Wafa humiliating him and passing the slam count.

 

[calitennis127]

Rafa was not too good today. Djokovic was too bad but whatever.

I agree with this actually, but technically it does make Nadal "too good" because when he did step up his game, Novak had no answer. Conversely, at no point in the match did Djokovic play that well, not even in the first set when he won.

Agreed, I didn't think Djokovic played all that well in the first set. His returns in his first 3 return games were off by a country mile.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I am willing to cut Nole a TINY bit of slack because I DID see him throw up in high-def, slow-mo. He looked tired all day. BUT...

He was horrible returning, inside out forehand was horrible, just bad overall...STILL...

You cannot take anything from Rafa. he raised his game when he needed to, the forehand worked most of the time, he even hit a couple of backhand winners ...and he was struggling towards the end with his own issues. So kudos to Rafa for the win and for catching Pete at the slam count.

I said this during the chat. This was like waiting for a long time to make love to a beautiful woman and finding out it was not what you hoped it would be. A lot of anticipation, not a lot of satisfaction.

Hope that's not coming from experience. Was it a he/she ? :snigger DOOOOOOIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!!!!

I thought the word "woman" explained it but....

 

[tenisplayrla08]

Congratulations on F.O. #9 and tying Sampras for 14 Rafael Nadal!

Only three more to tie Fed and become Goat!

:clap :clap :clap :celeb:

Remember when you asked "how does Federer stay motivated?" after the 2010 Australian Open and I told you that his record wasn't nearly as secure as everyone was saying?

never thought his record was secure. if rafa breaks that idk what ill do

Well, don't forget that he has nothing to play for anymore. Nothing!

Who has nothing to play for? Fed?
Maybe this is naive, but I honestly think Fed would leave if he had nothing to play for. I think that's the case with most people. The not great guys who never achieve much always have money to play for, so they'll stay til they can't function anymore. But someone like Roger who loves the game and is a historian of the game definitely knows he's playing for the history books. He knows he's already in them. And he knows Rafa is quickly encroaching. There's a reason he's been trying to change up his game and work on his core (to keep his back healthy). He clearly has something to play for.

Now I just hope you weren't talking about Rafa. That would beeee.... awkward.

 

[calitennis127]

Congratulations on F.O. #9 and tying Sampras for 14 Rafael Nadal!

Only three more to tie Fed and become Goat!

:clap :clap :clap :celeb:

Remember when you asked "how does Federer stay motivated?" after the 2010 Australian Open and I told you that his record wasn't nearly as secure as everyone was saying?

I wouldn't have thought it'd be broken but I also didn't think Roger would only have 17 after getting #16 at AO 2010. Figured at least 19. For all the talk that Roger aged well and handled having a family well it doesn't seem to be the case.

Darth, I think you're completely missing the point. I am strictly talking about the attitude people like nehmeth and Murat expressed repeatedly that they "don't know how Fed stays motivated" after his Slam lead was up to 10.

I never bought into this idea that Nadal was going to play until he was 24 and then physically crash because his knees couldn't take it. That was one of the dumbest cliches out there. And after #6, there was scant evidence that he wasn't going to win at least another 5 or 6 French Opens. The point I also made at that time was that Federer should have been looking a generation down the pike, even if Nadal was not going to catch him, and anticipating a future great rising. His lead could never be big enough.

Now it appears that his complacency (and the complacency of everyone who was in his ear) has really put him in an ugly situation as far as defending his record.

No I agree with your points. With Roger the ups and downs and motivational issues is a combination of family and just having been around so long and accomplished so much. It is human nature. We can hope that he gets some motivation at the possibility of Wafa humiliating him and passing the slam count.

I would agree with you, if it were not for the Monte Carlo final. Fed's showing in that match against Wawrinka was one of the most disappointing I have seen from him in his career.

 

[Ricardo]

Rafa was too good today

i beg to differ.

not sure what you meant. He was too good.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Congrats Rafa on his 9th RG title. He didn't need to do much, Novak messed up big time.

Terrible performance really. Everything went AWOL in the second set. Backhand especially.

I don't want to rub it in, but maybe someone like Nadal deserves more respect than to hope for him in the final because "it would narrow the gap in the head-to-head" or suggest that he might tank to avoid Djokovic.